The Photograph
by krazikrys
Summary: This is my response to the episodes where Mulder is wearing a wedding band.


Title: The Photograph

Author: krazikrys

Feedback: Greatly appreciated at 

Disclaimer: I don't own Mulder or Scully. They belong to Chris Carter, TenThirteen Productions and Twentieth Century Fox. This is strictly in fun.

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October 13, 1999

Alexandria, Virginia

4:15AM

She sat alone at the tiny all night diner examining her left hand. Her fingernails were short and stubby from a nervous habit of biting them. Her left wrist was slightly larger than her right. She had broken it twice--once when she was thirteen, and again when she was seventeen. Her fingers were long--piano fingers, people told her. Slowly her gaze came to rest on her ring finger. There used to be a diamond engagement ring on it. There should be a wedding band resting there now. But that was years ago.

The waitress, a tall blonde, walked over to the table where she sat. "Can I get you anything?"

Kim fondled the menu unconsciously. She looked up at the waitress and very carefully said, "I'll just have some more coffee."

"Coming right up," the waitress said as she jotted down the order and took the menu from Kim. The blonde waitress walked away from her and over to a red head sitting a few tables away. Kim watched as the waitress jotted down the other order and headed towards the kitchen. Kim's attention then shifted to the red head. She was petite, with features that made her intimidating. She was the complete opposite of Kim. Kim was petite, yes, but she wasn't intimidating, she was almost a push over.

Suddenly the red head looked up from her paperwork and looked right at Kim. The look seemed to say, "What are you looking at?" Kim quickly grabbed the cardboard advertisement and became completely engrossed in it.

Across the room, Dana Scully went back to pondering her files. She couldn't believe she was still in Alexandria. Her partner had told her at two that morning, that they wouldn't be able to get anything else done and had gone to bed. Somehow, she found herself at this little diner going over what they had accomplished. She didn't feel like going home; it was a bit of a drive. She had noticed the little brunette woman when she came in at three-thirty. She looked lonely, so Dana gathered her things and headed over to her table.

"Can I join you?" Dana asked.

Kim looked up at her. "Sure, I guess."

As Dana sat down, she said, "I noticed you watching me across the room. You looked lonely. Oh, by the way, I'm Dana."

Kim smiled. "I'm Kim. Sorry about that. So, what are you doing in a place like this at this time of night?"

"Oh, I just came from my partner's place. We've been working on this case all day and finally decided to call it quits around two. What about you?"

"Just couldn't sleep. I tried calling my ex-husband, but I got the machine, so I hung up."

"Why'd you and your husband get divorced, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, it was nothing really. I should have been able to see it through, but when he really focused his attention on something, it was hard to get him to do anything else. He worked his way up through the ranks at his job and found a new thing that caught his interest. He then started spending more time at the office and less time with me, so we decided to go our separate ways." Kim stopped to take a sip of coffee. "I can't believe we lasted as long as we did."

"How long were you married?"

"Eight years. Fortunately we don't have any kids. Oh, don't get me wrong. We wanted to have children. I guess it just wasn't in our future. Oh, and he was so romantic. Flowers, poetry, he'd even leave me little notes just to say he loved me."

Dana sighed. Oh how she wished her partner would be that way with her. They had been partners and friends for over six years now. They did have a good working relationship, but anything outside of work was never discussed.

Kim absentmindedly reached into her jeans pocket. She pulled out a small gold band and spun it around in her fingers. Dana noticed what Kim had done, and very slowly asked, "Is that your wedding ring?"

Kim looked up at her. "Yea. It should be at home in a box, but for some reason I carry it with me. It's stupid, I know."

"No, it's not. It's something to remember him by. At least you and he are on speaking terms."

"I wouldn't exactly call it speaking terms. We don't talk much anymore. I usually only call him when I can't sleep or I have a major problem. I never call him at work, even though I have his number. He's more of a crutch than anything else. It's so hard to break away from the person you love."

"So you still love him?"

"With all my heart. I know he doesn't feel the same. He's married to his work now. I don't even know if he's ever home. I always seem to get the answering machine when I call the apartment. Funny thing is, he's never changed the number. When I moved out, I left just about everything. Nothing was mine anyway. I had just graduated college and had nothing to my name when we got married. I lived in the dorms all four years. He had already been out of school and working for two years. We got married and got a little one-bedroom apartment here in town. It was small, but I didn't care. We were in love.

"When I left him, I suddenly found myself with nothing. No place to live, nothing but the clothes on my back and a couple of bags of other miscellaneous items. I was fortunate enough that my mother lived close and said I could live with her until I got back on my feet, but that took two years. My college degree hasn't gotten me anywhere. I now work as a radio disc jockey on the weekends and work on my book during the week.

"My writing was better when I was married. My publisher tells me this. But I've managed to capture the fear of living alone now. I think they like it."

Dana Scully picked up her coffee and looked at Kim through the steam. "So you're a dee-jay?"

"Yea, two different stations, but it pays the bills. I manage to eat and the royalties from my first novel cover the rent. But enough about me, what about you?"

Dana tensed. Her life was nothing compared to Kim's, it would hardly take up a paragraph in a book. "Oh, my life is nothing spectacular. I work for the FBI. My partner is very...dedicated, is the word I use. I don't really have much of a personal life outside of work."

Kim looked at her, took a sip of coffee, and said, "Not everyone's life can be as interesting as mine, but I think you just helped my writer's block."

Kim and Dana talked for a while longer, and around five in the morning, Kim got up to leave. "Well, it's been nice talking with you," Kim said as she went to the register to pay the bill. As she was putting her wallet back in her purse, a photograph fell out onto the floor. Kim didn't notice, but Dana did. She hurried over and picked up the photo. She looked up, but Kim had already walked out the door. Dana followed, but once she was on the street, she had no idea which way Kim had gone. The town was dark and the street was empty.

Dana took the photo and went back inside. It had landed face down. On the back, it said "home." She sat down in the booth and ran her fingers over the edge of the photo. Was it right to look at someone's old photograph? Dana slowly turned the photograph over. She stared at the picture for a moment. The photo was of a young couple unlocking the door to their new home. The woman was about five feet tall, had brunette hair and green eyes. She was obviously the person Dana had just met in the diner. The man was about a foot taller than Kim, had brown hair and green eyes. The apartment they were unlocking was number forty-two. As Dana looked at the photograph, she realized that Kim's ex-husband was her partner, Fox Mulder. Dana put the photograph in the file she had brought with her and vowed to discuss this with her partner. She then got up, paid her bill and walked out of the diner, all the while thinking about the photograph.


End file.
